Family Vacation 2011

We just got back tonight from 4 days in Branson, MO. We wanted so badly to take a family vacation this summer - it was Molly Grace's first - but I wasn't ready to brave a long trip with a wild toddler! We settled on Branson because it was semi-close and there was so much to do.

We left out Sunday evening after Wende's funeral. We drove my aunt's house to Jamey's parent's house. It was a 4 hour drive after a long day and no nap for MG! She did great though! We got to my In-Laws' house around 9pm. MG was wired and played, ran, sang, spun around for a good hour before crashing!

Monday morning we got up, ate breakfast and headed out to Branson. We'd made reservations for 2 nights at a resort with a splashpark/waterslide. As soon as we parked and got out of the car, MG could see and hear the splashpark and got so excited! We checked-in and headed straight to the water! She had such a good time splashing and playing in the pool. We had to drag her out to go eat dinner. She was so exhausted and hungry at that point that she was a mess! It was right at 6pm and everything was packed. There was no way we could go in somewhere and wait for a table, then wait for food...so we stopped in at Shoney's since it was a buffet and she could eat ASAP! BIG mistake!! The food was OK - and that's an exaggeration! If you're ever in Branson, DON'T go to Shoney's no matter how desperate you are!! Take your chances anywhere else! Ha! It served it's purpose, though, and created a great memory. Now everytime we see a Shoney's, we'll laugh at ourselves! After dinner, we ran by the outlet mall. There were only a few stores I wanted to go in and it was so empty, so it was great! We spent the longest time in The Disney Store. I swear, shopping in that store with a little girl of my very own is like a dream come true! We bought 2 princess dolls (Belle and Snow White)! I could've spent a fortune on MG in there! Back at the hotel, we all crashed. MG got to sleep with her daddy and I got a whole queen-sized bed to myself!

Tuesday morning we got up and ate breakfast at the hotel restaurant. It was really good. MG ate for free, but if they'd known how much she was going to eat they probably would've charged us! She gobbled up some eggs, biscuit and gravy, potatoes and fruit! After breakfast, we headed down to The Landing to do some shopping before it got too hot. I love it down there. It's like a cobblestone mainstreet. Of course Molly Grace got a "souvenire" from the toy store as soon as we got there! She also got a fun float for the pool, a yummy sub from Charley's for lunch and a smoothie before we left! She was so tired at that point so we headed back for a nap. After resting, we went back to the splash park and pool. We spent several hours playing and had so much fun! Around 6, we got cleaned up and went into town for dinner at the House of Chicken. We had to wait a little bit for a table, but MG entertained herself by playing with the rocks outside! I finally got smart and thought to stick a coloring book in her bag, so she colored while we waited for our food. It was really yummy! We all thought so! After dinner we stopped at my favorite flea market. I've never bought anything there, but I love to roam! We got back around 8:30ish, let MG play awhile, and went to sleep around 10:00. Tonight I got to sleep with the cuddle bug and Jamey got a bed to himself!

Oh - and we decided to add another day to our stay! We were having way too much fun to go home!

Wednesday morning we got up and ran into town to a few stores I'd been eyeing. I still didn't buy anything, I just love to look. Jamey has a big problem with that! Ha! It bothers him that him and MG get stuff and I don't. I finally had to explain to him that getting to buy princess dolls, pink hairbows, and purses IS fun for me! Ha! After a couple stores, we weren't sure what we wanted to do. It was pretty cloudy and kind of cool so we didn't want to get in the water and it wasn't time for lunch yet...I'd been wanting to go in the Titanic museum for a few years now (since we saw it in Pigeon Forget 3 years ago) so decided it might be fun. The sign said it was "kid friendly", but it definitely wasn't toddler or stroller friendly! There were too many people in too tight of a space! But the artifacts, pictures and exhibits were really neat to look at. I'm glad we stopped. MG, on the other hand, did not have such a good time! Like usual, she was such a trooper, though! By the time we got out, it was time for lunch - MG wasn't shy about letting us know that! We drove all over town and ended up at a little diner right across the street from where we'd just come from - a typical happening on our vacations! It was a really cute little diner with the best hamburgers! There was even a guy singing live on stage. MG watched him for a little bit and even waved at him! We had a really huge, really yummy banana split for dessert and Molly Grace tore into it! There was ice cream everywhere. She ate more on her own that Jamey and me combined! The sugar kicked in pretty quick, too, because she couldn't quit squealing and dancing in the booth! On our way out, Jamey took her up to see the music again. Our sweet waitress got up on stage and took Molly Grace up with her to dance! I was shocked when MG actually took her hands and went up with her! She lasted all of 30 seconds before she wanted down! We left the nice singer a tip and left. We got all the way back to the resort before we realized we hadn't stopped to pay on our way out! I couldn't believe it! We had to go all the way back and pay for our yummy lunch! MG fell asleep in the car, poor girl! She was so tired. She didn't even wake up when we got back and I took her out of her seat. I carried her all the way in and layed her down without her budging! When she got up we headed back to the water for 1 last time. It was still pretty cloudy and breezy so we didn't last long! When we got out, we headed to 1 last store that Jamey wanted to go in - the Coleman Outlet. You can't go to Branson without going to the Coleman Outlet! Ha! We were still pretty stuffed after 3 days of eating, eating, eating so we were thinking of just skipping dinner, but on our way back we saw a pizza place/arcade that we took a chance on. I'm so glad we stopped because we had the best time! The food was Ok, but the fun was Great! Molly Grace had the best time running from game to game, putting coins in the machines and gathering tickets up! She loved the tickets! We played SkiBall, basketball, a dancing game, Wack-A-Mole...and lots of other stuff! With her tickets she got to buy a pretty beaded bracelet, paddle ball, 2 play unicorns, a coloring book, and a ball. Pizza, games and bed! What a great last night!

Thursday morning we got up, ate breakfast, loaded the car up and headed to Springfield for a Bass Pro shopping spree. I was so excited for Molly Grace to see all the animals, fish and water displays. She lasted about 15 minutes, cared nothing about the animals she did see, and fell asleep in her stroller! On the plus side, Jamey and I got a good 1.5 hours of peaceful shopping! We stopped at Burger King for lunch and let MG play out some energy then headed home.

We had such a great time! I have to put in here what an awesome kid we have! She's ornery and rotten as can be, but she's so great!! I am such a stickler for routines and schedules and she is too so I was worried how she would hold up. Even with the late bedtimes, short naps, sleeping all in 1 room, random meals, and running till we dropped - she was so good! She went right along with the flow. She never fussed when we were traveling - even on the 4 hour trip home! Her smiles and laughs were the best part of our trip! I loved seeing her having so much fun. I know she won't remember this trip, but her daddy and I will!

Pictures to come when I'm not so tired... :-)